1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications systems, and more specifically is directed toward systems and methods for effecting alternate billing arrangements.
2. Related Art
Telephone calls connecting distant subscribers are typically charged on a per-use basis. These charges typically accrue at a rate (e.g., per-minute charge) that is dependent upon the amount of network facilities that are being used over the path of the telephone call. Thus, a telephone call originating in New York and terminating in Seattle can justify a higher facility charge as compared to a telephone call originating in New York and terminating in New Jersey. This results since the New York-Seattle telephone call will traverse an entirely different transport path which includes additional switches, fiber-optic transport equipment, etc. Note that this scenario represents a simple example of how an inter-exchange carrier (IXC) can implement a form of price differentiation within their billing scheme. Note further that a similar scenario also exists within the local exchange carriers (LECs) as they connect subscribers that reside within various LATAs.
In addition to the price differentiation that is loosely tied to the physical distance between the calling and called parties, IXCs and LECs can also augment the standard connection charges based upon the types of services provided. For example, if a calling party desires to make a calling card call, then additional services are required. These additional services include database queries and validation procedures. Like the actual switching and transport facilities for the voice channel, the database and validation procedures represent valuable network resources that are being used by the calling party. The calling party can then be charged accordingly by increasing the per-minute charge of the calling card call.
As these examples illustrate, the billing of a telephone call is typically applied to the calling party. There are many instances, however, where the calling party desires to shift the billing of the telephone call to the called party. For example, a college student may desire to call his or her parents at home with the parents picking up the bill for the call. In other examples, a calling party at a pay phone may desire to place a long distance call without having enough coins to continually insert into the pay phone. In these types of scenarios, the calling party can simply decide to place a collect call. Collect calls typically require the provision of an operator to facilitate the call setup process. In this process, the operator or a computerized system intervenes to determine whether the called party is willing to accept the charges of the collect call. In a similar manner to calling card calls, the provision of an operator or computerized system to the collect call represents a valuable network resource that is being used by the calling party. The usage of additional resources allows an IXC or LEC to justify a higher per minute usage charge for the collect call.
To avoid these premium charges for collect calls, calling parties have resorted to other methods to shift the billing burden onto the called party. In one example, the calling party can place a first call to the called party, hang up, and wait for the called party to place a second call back to the original calling party. In another example, the calling party can place a collect call to the called party who will refuse the charges then subsequently place a call to the original calling party. Numerous variations to this theme exist.
While the bill-shifting techniques described above are useful to varying degrees, they each require that a particular procedure be followed prior to a call. These procedures are often inflexible in requiring that a decision be made in advance to have the charges revert to the called party. What is therefore needed is a more flexible alternative that allows the calling and called parties to decide how to shift the billing burden.